As I sat in the front seat staring out at the setting sun, Christmas music floating out of our speakers, I thought about the similarities between two cities: Jerusalem and Chiang Mai. While I’m no pastor or Bible scholar, the lostness and darkness found in Jerusalem before Christ’s birth is undeniable. It was a city yearning for a savior.
People, expectantly waiting.
People, desperate to taste deliverance from a God they couldn’t see.
People, wanting blessings.
People, lost in hopeful expectation.
“As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ…” (Luke 3:15)
“O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (Psalm 130:7-8)
As I read through the Old Testament as well as the gospels, I’ve been struck by the tension between the Fear of God and the Fear of Man. Often, whenever Israel strayed from the Lord, they made choices based on the fear of men. For example, when spies were sent into Jericho, they doubted God’s promise of victory because they were afraid of the people. “Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are” -Numbers 13:31. Instead of trusting the promise and plan that God set before them, they succumbed to despair and fear. I believe this passage from the Pharisee’s perspective ineptly describes the tension between trusting God or man as Jesus questioned them whether John’s baptism came from heaven or man. “And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But is we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know’” (Matthew 21:25-27).
Here in Thailand, many people who learn about Jesus are held by this fear as well. “To be Thai is to be Buddhist” is a phrase we’ve heard from countless missionaries. For a person to believe in Jesus, they’re risking their reputation with their family, community, and nationality as a whole; essentially abandoning all they’ve ever known. To put your faith in Jesus truly means obeying his call, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Thais are faced with a fear-inducing reality: following Jesus means losing their community and past identity. All believers choose to abandon their old self, but for Thais, this is a terrifying risk. I have seen firsthand the way this tension affects and consumes people here. I ask for prayer for Thailand: that communities would honor Thais who become Christians, and for boldness for people to follow Jesus.
I see another similarity between the people in Jesus’s time, awaiting a savior, and the city I now live in. On New Year’s Day, I witnessed two women place drinks and snacks at the base of the spirit houses at our neighborhood entrance. Spirit houses can be seen at nearly every property and prominent place in Thailand. 2,000 years ago and in our world today, people are placing their hope and faith in something they can’t see. They hope for favor, hope for deliverance. However, we have tasted the joy that the shepherds felt all those years ago at the birth of Jesus.
People, expectantly waiting.
People, desperate to taste deliverance from a God they couldn’t see.
People, wanting blessings.
People, lost in hopeful expectation.
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” -Psalm 130:5-6
The Christmas story brings hope- the light of the world descended into darkness. This is the truth we proclaim across the nations. We no longer have to be trapped in the fear of man- we have freedom in God’s unending love. We no longer have to place our faith in uncertaining, we have security in Jesus’s life and resurrection. In Thailand, we proclaim hope, joy, and deliverance in the name of Jesus. In America, we proclaim hope, joy, and deliverance in the name of Jesus. Wherever we are, we should be just like the shepherds- rejoicing and sharing the good news.
I share these things as I process what it means to follow Jesus across the world. Is the risk- carrying the cross of Jesus- worth it to you?
I share this because God continues to teach me how futile placing my worth or fear in man truly is.
I share because if we’re not careful, we can fall into the same false belief that people here believe: that our actions and prayers are what bring us God’s- or human- favor. Our lives can become centered on the fear of what others may think of us, rather than the security we have in God’s unending love.
I share this in order to ask for your prayers. A life with Jesus is a beautiful but taxing one. Please pray for the hearts that God is chasing after here. Pray for freedom and deliverance in the name of Jesus.
A post on ministry updates will be coming soon :)
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